The Long Awaited Lord

by Deborah Wilson

  It had taken all yesterday, but he’d finally found a reason for Matthew to invite him into his home. They’d met when the young man and his friends had been leaving the lecture hall. Leo had casually asked what the lecture had been about and had then surprised Matthew and his friends with his vast knowledge on the subject.

  With the offer of all the wine their bellies could hold, he’d invited the young men to accompany him to a tavern. There he all but gave them the answers to the next set of tests and essays they’d be tasked with while spinning a few personal stories that he knew would impress them. He was immediately liked and even adored.

  Students were easy prey.

  After saying his fill, Leo listened to the conversations around him. Lord Arland came up and he watched the expressions of the men as they spoke. Each sported a black band around their arm in homage to their fallen friend, but Leo searched their eyes for signs of true mourning.

  He could tell they all missed Lord Arland. Even Matthew, though there was something else in his eyes. Anger. Betrayal. It was covered by a mask before Leo could read more. He could tell a small part of Matthew that was glad his friend was gone.

  When another gentleman, a man they’d called Lord Beck, had walked into the tavern, Matthew’s friends had grown quiet. Leo inquired about the change in mood and after a few more drinks, they’d told him in spite of Matthew’s glare.

  Lord Beck had stolen Matthew’s mistress, a local beauty named Rose who Matthew had managed to keep to himself for years.

  Until she’d left him for Lord Beck and subsequently had Beck’s child.

  Rose was apparently quite pleased with her offspring, who was two-years-old.

  When Leo got a moment alone with Matthew, Leo pretended to have crossed Arland’s path once or twice and said he’d found him deplorable. Leo made up a lie about Arland having taken and hidden something from him.

  At first, Matthew had defended his old friend. They’d been close. There had clearly been a time when Matthew had loved him, but after a while, the new feelings of disgust and hate showed themselves. Leo had bought Matthew drinks for the rest of the night and formed a bond with the man.

  He understood the war between love and hate. He’d grown up with that fight inside his heart. His father had wanted him to hate his brothers. His brothers had wanted Leo’s love.

  In the end, the best course of action had been to turn his emotions off completely. There was power in both love and hate, and he would never give anyone that much leverage over him.

  Then he’d casually mentioned that he only had a room for the night but had yet to pay for boarding for the rest of the week. Matthew didn’t waste a second in inviting him to be a guest in his house. He could tell the young man missed his father so Leo was forced to juggle the role of friend and mentor. Matthew held secrets that Leo wanted access to, but that would come in time.

  Did Leo feel terrible for what he was doing? Not at all. He had no plans to hurt the man unless he found a reason to. For now, he would give Matthew sincere advice and leave him no different than when he’d come.

  There’d been a fight outside the tavern later that evening. Someone, seeing Matthew barely able to keep on his feet, thought it a good time to pick his pockets. Leo had stepped in and held the offender down until someone on the street had called for the authorities. The quick round of fisticuffs had further endured Leo to Matthew.

  As Leo took Matthew to his carriage to make sure he got in safely, Matthew confessed that Maddie would likely know more about Arland’s final days than Matthew did. He’d suggested that Maddie might know where Arland had hidden Leo’s object.

  There had been some bitterness in the whispered word. Maddie.

  He hadn’t known until he’d arrived at the young earl’s manor just who Maddie was. Lady Hivers. And now that he did, Leo planned to spend a great amount of time with her.

  Matthew had already informed his wife to make herself available to him, and Leo would take every opportunity to seek her out. She was looking down at her hands. Her cheeks were still warm from being caught staring at him.

  Leo was trying to understand the dynamics of the relationship between Lord and Lady Hivers. She’d hidden her disappointment at not being able to see her mother very well.

  He was surprised when she didn’t speak out or even make a comment. Was she holding her peace until they were alone? They didn’t seem to like each other. Lady Hivers didn’t look at her husband, and he didn’t look at her.

  It was very odd, the tension between them. Leo had seen other couples in disagreement, but this seemed different. They sat like strangers on the last row of a mail coach, in their own world without one crossing over the other. Had Leo seen them at a party, he’d have not thought them attached in any way.

  Where was the anger if they were upset with one another? Where was the pain? The bitterness? Instead, there seemed to be a great deal of indifference for one another, more so on Lady Hivers’ end.

  He tried not to stare at her. Whether they were on good terms or not, most husbands didn’t enjoy having their property poached upon.

  Because of the heavy clouds, gray light came through the window. Matthew’s drawing room was decorated with dark wood and deep reds. He glanced at Matthew. The man looked ready to fall out of his chair even as he tried to keep the conversation going. Leo kept his eyes on the man, but one glance at Lady Hiver’s face and he had her memorized.

  Maddie, as Matthew had called her, had a youthful appearance without looking child-like. Her face and nose were slender, but her chin curved enough to soften her. Her eyes were large and deep-set and her skin was so pale that he could see faint blue veins on her eyelids. The irises were blue in themselves, a striking sapphire.

  Her paleness was the perfect backdrop for Lady Hivers’ eyes. They glowed. With every blink, those eyes struck out and made him stiffen. Not that he wanted her. She was pregnant and belonged to another man. Leo’s thoughts toward her weren’t sexual. He was simply intrigued.

  “Do you like music, my lord?” Matthew asked. “Maddie plays the pianoforte very well.”

  “I enjoy music,” Leo said. It was the one thing he could admit to enjoying more than anything else.

  Matthew sent his wife toward the piano in the corner.

  She rose and Leo finally had reason to stare again. From the back, one would never know she carried a child, much less that it would arrive soon. She sat down with her back to the men and a second later…

  A chill crawled its way up Leo’s legs. The music was haunting, yet beautiful. The chorus was dark. The count was a moderate tempo, yet the energy grew and fell, taking Leo’s heart wherever it went. He knew the classics. Mozart. Bach. Handel. He could neither place the song nor the composer.

  Panic filled him. He had to know. He turned to Matthew to ask and was surprised to find him asleep. Leo waved a hand before him. Nothing.

  He leaned back and relaxed his mind, allowing himself to enjoy every second of Lady Hivers’ playing. The music lured him into a dream. A forest growing dark with the last rays of the sun cutting through the mist. He was following someone. The music sped up and so did his feet in his mind. But where was he going? What did this spirit want from him?

  It went toward the light. But could he trust it?

  She was very good. Almost as good as Wess.

  Leo thought about the boy whose performances he never missed and then wondered if Wess would like this song. He would buy the sheet music for him once he knew the name of it.

  He was saddened when he knew the song was coming to an end.

  He kept his eyes closed until the very last evocative note. Then he opened them.

  ∫ ∫ ∫

  0 8

  * * *

  Lady Hivers was looking at her husband when Leo opened his eyes. Her dead expression didn’t match the emotion she’d put into the music. He’d felt every note of her song.

  As he stared at her, Leo wondered at the thoughts Lady Hivers was having a
bout her sleeping husband. Something told him that they weren’t good.

  Finally, she looked at him. “Did you enjoy the music, my lord?”

  “I did,” he said. Though he had a feeling she didn’t care. She didn’t seem to care about anything, which made him uneasy. He knew how dangerous cutting one’s emotions off could be. “What was the name of the song?”

  She turned away. “I’ve yet to give it a name. Shall I play you something else?”

  Leo’s eyes widened. “You composed that yourself?”

  “Would you prefer something else?” She began to play without giving him another chance to speak. Bach. “Piano Sonata No. 14.”

  It seemed Lady Hivers was in a dark mood. Leo was starting to wonder if he was safe in this house. He walked across the room and then leaned against the piano.

  She looked up at him with a flash of emotion. Surprise. Then her gaze became withdrawn. She held his eyes for another second. Hers were empty blue oceans. Then she looked away.

  He remained silent until she was finished.

  “Shall I play you another?” she asked.

  “No,” he cut in just before her fingers moved to the keys, ready to strike.

  She rested her hands on her lap. She could have cradled her stomach. Her fingers were close to the large curve, yet she didn’t.

  “What is your full name?” He thought Maddie fine, but it didn’t quite fit her. It was too childlike. She was all woman.

  She seemed reluctant to respond. “It’s Madison. Lady Madison.”

  He sighed. The name on her lips was just as wonderful as her playing. Yes. Madison fit nicely. “The song you composed was beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” The words lacked conviction. She wasn’t actually thankful. The only time she’d seemed genuine was when he’d shocked her.

  He looked at Matthew. He was still asleep. A soft snore came from his corner of the room.

  Leo turned back to his hostess. “I have heard a rumor that piano playing improves one's ability to learn new languages. Are you fluent in anything other than English?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you understand me now?” He spoke Italian. The likelihood of Matthew being fluent in it was low.

  Madison’s eyes flashed again. Did she understand? There was only one way to find out.

  “Your playing is nearly as beautiful as your face. It called out to my soul, much like your eyes.”

  She stiffened, and her mouth fell open.

  He smiled, very much intrigued by her. “I will not know if you can understand me until you say so.”

  She closed her mouth, and her brows furrowed.

  He leaned farther onto the piano, now unsure if she understood or if she was playing a game with him. He decided he’d play. “Are you happy, my lady? Does your husband please you? If I offered to take you away, would you come?”

  Her mouth fell open again, and her face flooded with emotion. Great hope engulfed her eyes and Leo could do nothing but remain still as her emotions assaulted him one right after the other.

  Then they stopped and she calmed. The change came as swiftly as one would blow out a candle. “Another song, my lord?”

  He had his answer, yet before he could say a word, she started to play again. Matthew coughed and jerked out of his sleep. He looked around, confused for a moment, and then smiled once he saw Leo.

  Leo reluctantly left the piano. Every step away from her song was like torture, especially when it pulled at him. What was Lady Hivers hiding? Did she know anything about Judd’s father? Did she know about The Circle?

  For the moment, the mystery of Madison would have to wait.

  * * *

  Madison opened her mouth and pulled in a great breath once Lord Leo stepped away.

  Who was that man? He made her nervous. The more he spoke, the more she was convinced that Matthew was setting her up for something. He was plotting something, though she didn’t know what. Why else let such an attractive man into the house and have her be available to him should he wish to spend time with her?

  She was confident that Matthew didn’t expect her to share her body with him. He didn’t even touch her himself. She was safe until the thing in her belly came out. Would the foreboding Lord Leo still be around after that?

  He wore a charming smile, but it was all for show, either for her benefit or Matthew’s.

  She heard the men laugh behind her and stood. If she was very quiet, she could leave. Then another thought came to mind. If Lord Leo continued to keep Matthew distracted then perhaps there was a chance that she could get away…

  The thought vanished just as quickly as it had come. Unless she was with Matthew, she was always being watched. Servants stalked her at all hours.

  A few weeks ago, she’d gotten up in the middle of the night to use the facilities. A footman had been outside her door. Asleep and propped against it. He’d nearly hit his head when she swung the door open.

  There was no escape.

  She’d made it all the way to the door without being called and just before she left, she glanced back and caught Leo’s eyes. He was smiling at something Matthew said.

  Matthew stiffened, becoming aware of her absence. “Maddie—”

  “I can’t recall where you said your father had been left after he and Lord Arland’s ship had wrecked,” Lord Leo said. “What year was that?”

  And just like that, Matthew forgot all about her.

  Lord Leo nodded as Matthew spoke. He glanced at her and his eyes seemed to tell her to go.

  She nodded in thanks. It was the first time she’d felt gratitude in months. Then she fled.

  In her own room, she closed the door on the footman in the hall and gently fell into her bed.

  As she often did, she stared at the blank walls of her room. The white was without adornment, and Madison had found a way to make her mind just as blank. Emotion and thought were swept from her mind and a blissful nothingness fell over her like a blanket.

  The resident in her womb kicked. There was a flutter of emotion low in her stomach and then it was gone. Whatever the feeling had been, it didn’t rise.

  Without having to lift her head, she glanced out the window at the gray sky. A thin branch that swung in the cold wind was rooted to a tall tree just outside her window. Its branches were dark. She often compared the shade to the mahogany that dominated Matthew’s home.

  But now she thought of Lord Leo’s hair and wondered if his soul matched.

  The song he’d compared so beautifully to her face had been created over the past few weeks out of the bitterness and hate she harbored for Matthew. She’d flung her emotions out at the keys and allowed the piano to consume her until she’d been left with nothing.

  ∫ ∫ ∫

  0 9

  * * *

  There was a knock at Madison’s door, and she sat up as Matthew entered. He closed the door behind him. She remained still and waited for him to speak.

  “I’m just going to come right out and say it. Lord Leo is looking for something, and you’re going to help him find it. It’s something Arland stole from him.”

  “What?” Madison felt her stomach grow upset and took a breath. “When did this happen? What do you know about this man? He could be lying.”

  “He could be, but I don’t think he is.” For the first time in weeks, Matthew looked unsure of himself. There were times when Madison thought she could convince him to think about the consequences of his actions, but whenever she tried to speak with him about it, he became guarded and angry. She decided she would try and avoid upsetting him now.

  “He seemed to know Arland. He knew much about him. He said they met at a race.”

  “A race?”

  “A carriage race.”

  Madison frowned. “Judd enjoyed carriage racing?”

  “There is much you don’t know about your faithful Judd.” He spat his old friend’s name out. “You knew nothing but what he told you.”

  He’d said so before an
d in the beginning, Madison thought him saying the words to anger her. But over time, she’d made her own discoveries about Judd, not anything that would have warranted ending their engagement, but it was true. Judd had only shown her what he wanted her to see.

  In reality, she’d known nothing about his fears or what truly made him happy. He’d always claimed it was she who made him happy, but he’d had a whole life before she’d come around.

  “Lord Leo will speak to you and you will help him any way that you can,” Matthew said. “That means, no hiding in your room.”

  “I’m tired.”

  His expression became smug. “Then it was wise of me to not let you walk to your parents’ house, wasn’t it?”

  Anger boiled her blood. “My mother is not feeling well. I wish to visit her.”

  “You upset me today. Therefore, your visit can wait. Unless you are ready to sign our marriage license.”

  Her stomach tightened. Her heartbeat grew irregular. “No,” she whispered.

  “It needs to be done soon. Vicar Myers grows as impatient to finish this as I do.”

  Madison knew it was more than that. The vicar was nervous about this whole business. He was faithful to Matthew because Matthew paid him to be.

  She wanted to scream but managed to fight it down. She was good at feeling nothing now, could find the silence easily enough. “Why don’t you just sign for me and be done with it?”

  “And forego the opportunity to see your look of despair when you sign for yourself? I think not. If it comes down to it.” He shrugged. “But for now…” He looked at her belly. “I’ll wait until you don’t grow so pale at the idea or until after my heir has been delivered.”

  She touched her cheek and felt its coolness.

  Madison’s hate for the man before her was immeasurable and only climbed higher because she could tell he wasn’t as sold on his own plans as he claimed. “What did Judd do to you?”

  As usual, his answer was vague. “He took away my happiness. So, I’m going to take his.” He lifted his hand to silence her. “You may write to your mother. I, of course, will read anything you write before it is sent.”